Chapter 13 - Gemma

I didn’t want to admit it, but Ben was beginning to lower my defenses whether I liked it or not.

After the article had been cleared and published, I noticed a shift in Ben and his demeanor towards me. He was trying more than I expected him to. I assumed that he forced me to marry him for his gain, just to toss me aside and move on to the next one. But that didn’t seem to be the case.

Wherever he could, he was trying to get to know me, and little by little, he was sharing pieces of his life with me, too.

It was nicer than I expected, and it left me feeling less conflicted about the whole ordeal.

Of course, telling me about his childhood and hardships wasn’t enough to build that trust, but it was a start. At least being able to know things about my husband seemed better than being completely clueless, even if I was still trying to get into the swing of things.

I could say that things were better than I assumed they would be, regardless of the kinks that needed to be worked out.

As Friday rolled around, I realized I had made it to the end of the workweek without any incidents. So far so good. The article was published, and I was still breathing, so I was willing to accept that as a victory in itself.

After the driver dropped me off in the parking garage and drove off, I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and began for the office.

But before I could leave, the faint scuffle of shoes against the concrete pulled my attention away, and I stopped the moment two people I didn’t recognize stepped in front of me.

At first, I wanted to think it was just a strange coincidence and that maybe they needed directions, but that thought left my mind the moment they flashed smug smiles at me. Immediately, dread sat heavily in my chest.

“Gemma Tyler, correct?” the man asked, looking at me with a slight tilt of his head.

As I glanced between them, it was easy to see how identical they looked with their black hair and dark brown eyes. The man’s hair was trimmed and neatly styled, while the woman’s was pulled back in a long, sleek ponytail.

She had a tall, slender frame that was almost intimidating in a sense—making me wish I could shrink myself beneath her eyes. I suddenly felt inadequate given how our silhouettes were quite the opposite.

I blinked back at them and tried to maintain my composure. I had no real reason to be alarmed yet. “Yes, that’s me. Is there anything I can do for you?”

The woman’s smile grew, but it never reached her eyes. “Yes. We sought you out personally.”

“I’m Adrik, and this is my sister, Alina,” the man said, standing casually with his eyes firmly fixed on me in a way that made my skin crawl. “Ivanov.”

My stomach dropped.

Looking between them, I couldn’t help as my eyes widened and that revelation settled into my skin.

It was them. In the flesh. The very people I framed for the murders committed by the Levovs.

Given how I had gone the week without incident, I had assumed I had gotten away from the situation scot-free. I assumed the Levov-granted immunity I had was doing its job, but I was sorely mistaken.

The uncanny tinge in their eyes only became clearer as they watched me, not looking away for even a second.

“Ah, I see that rings a bell for you. As it should,” Alina murmured, red-painted lips a stark contrast against her near-porcelain skin. “We thought we’d stop by to ask you a couple questions, if you don’t mind.”

My pulse roared in my ears as I stood there, feeling caught and unable to escape. Knowing their connections and line of work, I didn’t want to be near them for a second longer than I had to be.

Fortunately, they were at my workplace, which meant—fingers crossed—there wasn’t anything they could do to me there.

Still, I was completely on edge as my stomach turned and my palms began to sweat. But steeling myself against that fear in me, I looked between them and was poised to leave, taking a step forward. “Actually, I’m about to head in—”

Alina’s hand on my arm stopped me from moving as Adrik subtly adjusted his jacket to expose the sleek, shiny metal of a pistol. “Oh, but this will only take a moment. Surely, you can spare us a few minutes.”

My throat immediately went dry, and as much as I wanted to scream for help, I knew it would be pointless. Knowing there was a gun in between us certainly made me think twice about it.

Letting go of a discreet breath, I stayed in place. “Alright, then.”

She hummed and crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed me like I was less impressive than the dirt lodged in the sole of her boots. “Excellent choice, Gemma.”

“It’s recently come to our attention that an unsavory article about us has been released to the public, and we didn’t take too kindly to hearing that. Especially not once we read it for ourselves.”

I could’ve sworn I felt every one of my organs shrivel at the mention of it, and it took everything in my power to hold my unfettered fear in.

It was my worst nightmare come true, and I had no choice but to face it directly.

“We were curious about how and why an intern at a local paper could’ve possibly—and incorrectly—connected two and two together, and linked us to those pesky murders you mentioned,” Alina began, feigning a look of ignorance. “It was especially difficult to understand when we had nothing to do with them, even if that might be difficult to believe.”

“But we did some digging recently, and after we caught wind of you shacking up with a Levov, it all became very clear, very suddenly,” Adrik added, eyes losing their exaggerated mirth.

I swallowed hard, aware that I was truly caught, and I had no escape plan. Even if I could find a way to contact Ben, he would never arrive on time. If they wanted to, they would simply kill me before he even had the chance to leave work.

I was on my own, and I had to deal with the consequences of lying.

Writing that article was the first time I was able to see the reality of the organized crime world. That first taste was enough to terrify me and make me wish I could go back in time and never take on that assignment.

Being with them, face-to-face, I didn’t understand how Ben could possibly involve himself in it.

Adrik nodded to himself absently. “So, now that we’ve established all that, let's get to the point here…”

My blood went cold in my veins, and every part of me was screaming to run. I wanted the ground to crack beneath my feet and swallow me whole, but that merciful escape was an impossible one.

Alina narrowed her eyes at me slightly. “Here’s what you’re going to do for us, Gemma. You’re going to walk yourself back into that office, inform your boss that an error was made, and you’re going to redact the statements. Our names will be scrubbed entirely, and you will issue a public statement with the newspaper detailing just how remorseful you are for pointing your finger in the wrong direction. If you fail to comply, you will find out the hard way, all on your own.”

“Even if you’ve managed to get yourself twisted up with the Levovs, you aren’t safe from us, reporter. Make sure you remember that.”

I couldn’t manage a single word—not while my life was flashing before my eyes. My hands trembled, and I couldn’t help but brace myself for the worst, assuming they weren’t done with me yet.

“If you manage to make those adjustments as soon as physically possible, then great. We will leave you alone and pretend like this never happened,” Alina began, allowing her smug smile to shift into a more serious, hardened look. “But if not, you can take a guess at what we will do to you.”

“Have we made ourselves clear?”

Feeling like my heart was going to explode, I managed a weak nod. “Y-yes. Very clear.”

Their smug expressions returned at the same time, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Excellent,” Alina said in a near purr. “Then we will be out of your hair.”

“But remember, we will be watching very closely,” Adrik said in a final warning, his eyes lingering on me before they both turned and left the way they came.

For a prolonged moment, I found myself glued to the spot and unable to get a grip on myself. The rapid beat of my heart was the only thing I could focus on as I watched them leave.

But the moment I snapped back to it, I let go of a shaky breath and moved. Frantic, worried that they might have a change of heart and take me out then and there, I quickened my pace toward the office.

I could hardly breathe, struggling to handle the pressure of what that meant while coming to terms with the situation. Even when I managed to reach my desk without collapsing, I couldn’t focus on the screen in front of me.

For at least half the morning, my heart was pounding in my chest at the reminder of what I had done, and how precarious the situation was.

I'd taken the fall for Ben and put everything on the line to frame the Ivanovs. In doing so, I managed to trap myself between both families, topped off with the added expectations that Ben had of me.

Against my will, I had been thrown into the chaos of it all, and I had no business being there. Yet it was my life hanging in the balance.